


Undercover Lover

by Solitaria



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drugs, F/F, M/M, short chapters (+/- 1000 words per chapter), sidestory Rose x Kanaya, will add more tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-04-24 04:02:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4904776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solitaria/pseuds/Solitaria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your name is JOHN. You’re a POLICE OFFICER, specialised in UNDERCOVER WORK. You get the task of making contacts in TEXAS’ DRUG SCENE in the hopes of finding an INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL. But the search for this mysterious dealer is quickly abandoned when you meet DAVE STRIDER.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The coffee machine had just finished making the cup of coffee when the ‘beep’ sound got covered by an excited yell. “Egbert!!” A voice echoes through the nearly empty room. “I heard you’re taking the Texas job?”  
John Egbert turned around, damping hot cup in his hand. “Yes, I am, Harley.”  
“Great! I knew you were gonna give in eventually. Hey, could you make me a cup too, please?” John gave her his own untouched cup and put the machine ready to make a new cup for himself.  
“So, when are you leaving?”  
“Tomorrow morning, probably. I already got plane and train tickets, so I’m packing my bags tonight.”  
“Well,” Jade began, pausing to take a sip of coffee, “good luck then, I guess!”

 

* * *

 

John stayed in a little house in the back streets of the city. Analyzing some earlier cases had shown that most drug dealers worked around here. There was, according to rumors, a certain part of the city where a lot of dealers lived, selled, and bought drugs. The house John was renting was less than a mile away from the area, in a place safer than the drug neighborhoods.  
He didn’t have a car to get himself there, he only had a bike. He felt like the chance of being thrown off it and robbed was pretty high out here. He really had to ask Jade about a car one day. For now, he just had a knife on him for if being attacked would occur. 

He planned on getting started on the case as quick as possible. He grabbed his bike, backpack, locked the door and left off. He learned from earlier jobs that the best time for this stuff was at dusk, which would arrive in about 2 hours. He could use this time to drive around for a while, to find out where the local stores and restaurants were. He picked up some donuts and a drink on his way.  
The name of this shop was one he had to remember. These donuts were heavenly good.  
John drove around some more until he knew the place he had to be was close. He parked his bike somewhere between the bushes and walked on, letting his finger slide over the knife and money in his pocket.  
He noticed he was at the right place right as he arrived. There was a lot of noise in places like this: people argued, yelled at each other, sometimes even got in a fight. So maybe it was because of the noise, or just because he was being dreamy, that he got run over by a guy coming from behind.  
His glasses dropped to the ground. He quickly picked them up and shoved them back on his nose, and then prepared to take his knife. When he turned around to see who had knocked him over, there was a blond/close to white-haired guy with a pair of shades on his face. “Yo, sorry dude. I was kind of in a hurry. Didn’t mean to knock you to the floor.”  
“Oh. It’s fine.” John praised himself lucky it hadn’t been an asshole to bump into him. It would've probably have ended in some kind of fight. Not recommendable for his first day.  
“You happen to have any weed with you? I’m looking for some.”  
Expectable.  
“No, sorry man. Looking for some too.”  
“Damn.” The guys sighed. “Well, I know a guy, it’s just that he’s not always to trustworthy with his prices. Fucking ridiculous. He sells it like it's the rarest shit ever." He stopped a second. "But yeah, he’s got these little pre-packed bags, and honestly, I don’t know if I should trust the amount he claims to be in it. Finding someone else would’ve been a nice thing for once.”  
John had no idea how to respond anymore.  
“But well, since you’re looking for some too, I suppose I could take you there.”  
It was questionable if this was a good idea. But there was a chance this could bring him closer to the man he was looking for…  
“Sure, thanks man.” Worth giving a shot.  
“He usually asks like 30$ for a gram, hope you’ve got that with you?” John nodded. He had about 60$ with him, the rest was safely put away on a credit card.  
With his gaze fixed on his shoes, John didn’t notice the guy was trying to initiate a conversation until he heard him saying something. “It’s Dave by the way. I’m Dave”  
“John.”  
Dave nodded and looked away for a while, but quickly turned his head again. “Are you new around here? Feels like I’ve never seen you here.”  
John was trained for this kind of situations, he knew an answer to every possible question they could ask and knew how to lie seamlessly. “Running from the police. I nearly got caught a few states away.”  
“Oh, shit.”  
“Yeah.”  
“We’re here by the way.”  
Dave raised his hand to a guy standing against a graffiti-colored wall. He was wearing expensive-looking pants and a shirt of the same brand. John believed the guy wasn’t trusted with his prices, he probably put them way to high just for the money. He looked like the type for it. Didn’t fit the description of the big guy, however.  
“The usual, I guess? Three grams?” The guy’s eyes slid over to John. “Some for your friend over there, too?” He smirked softly. Dave responded with a small chuckle. “I just met him. I don’t know what he needs.”  
“Two grams is fine.”  
The guy ruffled in his pockets, getting out two little bags. “That’ll be 68 for you and 34 for you, pal.”  
They paid and left together. It didn’t take long until suddenly, they heard a loud cry somewhere. “Police!”  
“Fuck!” Everyone started grabbing their stuff, fiddling with doorlocks to get in. “My house is a mile away.” He knew he couldn’t actually get arrested once they’d find out he was actually undercover, but he couldn’t just act all chill about this. It’d just reveal him immediately.  
Dave bit his lip, stared at the ground thoughtfully for a second, and sighed. “Fine. Come along. But once you make one wrong move… I’ve got katana’s at my place so watch out.”  
They ran and hit his house in time. “Dave?” a woman’s voice yelled from the living room. “You’re early.”  
“Police.”  
John entered the living room right after Dave, finding out the voice belonged to a blonde, short haired woman. Her lips were black and she had perfect winged eyeliner. She squinted her eyes when seeing John. “And who might that be?”  
“I don’t know, some guy I ran over.” The woman crossed her arms, her eyes still narrowed. “He said his house was a mile away and he came here running from the police. I don’t know man.”  
She shook her head softly. “You have far too much confidence again.”  
“Rose, please..” Dave crossed his arms and gave John a little smirk. “You’d let someone as cute as him in as well.”  
Things got a little bit awkward after that. John shifted around on his feet, finally deciding to rest his back against the wall, thanking the darkness in the room for hiding his blush. All Rose had done was laugh softly. She left shortly after; Dave had then taken her seat on the couch. He was drinking the leftover red wine from the bottle she left. He had attempted offering John some, but he denied.  
“Well, I think the police left. You better leave before it gets too dark or I might not see you again, dude. You never know what kind of crazy fuckers are running around in this kind of neighborhood.”  
John nodded. “Thank you for letting me stay.”  
“It’s fine man.” He quickly opened the door to let him out and then John was on his own again. He was lucky enough to retrieve his bike; even luckier when he could park it at his house again safely. He sent Jade a quick text, saying he survived day 1, a smiling emoticon next to it. She responds quickly after. John could hear her voice through the text, sensed the relief in it. He smiles when he puts away his phone and undresses to go to sleep.  
The dark calls his thoughts about Dave. He might be a bit odd and his comment still made him uncomfortable, but he was lucky to find someone who didn’t wanna kill him around here. Besides, he had weed too, and maybe Dave could bring him closer to the big guy? He could live through anything if it would make him solve the case, and that was the only thing John could care for right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to give credit to last year's psychology exam for this lovely AU idea. Thank you, teacher.  
> I'm gonna try to update weekly, every wednesday!
> 
> \- Tali


	2. Chapter 2

There was one sure pro point to undercover work: sleeping in. John didn’t have to wake up at six, he didn’t have to rush to get ready and make it to the police office in time. He could just sleep and snuggle some longer until he felt like getting up for a relaxed breakfast. There was no set time for leaving and investigating. The job sure had his bad points as well, but the good points could make it up.  
After an half hour of refusing to get up, John dragged himself out of bed, walking around in just his shirt and boxers to make a cup of coffee. He heard his phone buzz as the coffee was running. Jade had sent him a morning text to ask what he was going to do today. He replied he was probably just going to return to the neighborhood to go meet some new people. Those were the awkward first days, usually. Just walking around, trying to meet people who weren't planning on killing him. This lasted until he knew someone who could get him closer to the big guy they were looking for. Right now, he might have a shot with Dave, but he planned on trying to get to know some more people; just to be sure.  
The house luckily had wifi. John could easily spend an entire afternoon watching movies. He rewatched Armageddon once again, wondering how many times he could see it before it got boring. He nearly knew the movie word by word. Jade laughed at him and called him a nerd when he whispered the words to a scene along with the actors. And to be honest; he was proud of it too.

 

* * *

 

After the movie and some more useless, time wasting browsing, John decided to get up and go investigate some more. He grabbed his bike, got there safely and parked his bike at the same spot. He hadn't been walking for two minutes when a shoulder bumped against his. His reflex was to automatically grab his knife. Until he saw who had bumped into him.  
"Sorry bro - wait, John." Dave raised his eyebrows. "Did I really just bump into you again?"  
John laughed shortly. "Yes, you did."  
"Apparently there's a fight going on a little bit further, I wanna go see it, man. You coming too?"  
John shrugged. "Why not." He wasn't exactly interested in seeing people fight. He just preferred not walking alone in places like these.  
They heard screams from far away already. Clapping, name yelling, insults, the usual things you heard during a fight. They joined the circle. John had to stand on his toes to see something - it bothered him how tiny he was. "Just get a bit more towards the front," Dave whispered. He started pushing some people aside, not actually caring if they still saw it or not. Dave was tall. He easily blocked some views. "C'mon." Dave pulled John closer.   
"You still can't see it, can't you?" Dave pushed some more people aside until they were close to the front row. John was able to see them now. They were just walking around each other, waiting to attack. One of them had blood running down his lip, the other one had a swollen eye. Dave tried pushing John some more towards the front so he'd be at the first row. Unfortunately, Dave was the only one who agreed to that.  
A female voice hissed an insult followed by "you're not the only one who wants to see". John then suddenly got an elbow in his face, causing him to fall down, only a few inches away from the other two fighting men.   
The woman who had elbowed him, was now kicking him towards herself with the heel of her shoe. She pulled him up and gave him another blow with her elbow. The two other men had stopped fighting to watch John and the woman.   
Well, John was indeed trained in fighting. He was a cop, he was physically strong. He could've easily fought her off - if the first fall wouldn't have knocked him half unconscious. He just felt a kick to his legs now, he was about to fall down, but the woman was still holding him up. He saw a blurry arm being raised, but it didn't hit his face. He got pulled away by someone.  
"Hey!" The woman voice again. "I wasn't finished with him!"  
There was no response, he just felt arms supporting him as they walked away. Not for long, though. His support got pulled away and he fell again.   
It took John less than a minute to get to full conscience again. Dave was fighting the woman now; he could dodge most of her hits but some landed straight in his face. He was attempting to hit the woman too. She was slightly drunk so her movements weren't exactly fast.   
John still couldn't stand seeing it happen. Okay, one more try. Someone trained like him should be able to beat someone up! He tried standing up while Dave got hit on his nose. He dragged himself towards the two while Dave kicked her stomach. Exactly the right spot. She fell down on her knees and John took his chance to kick her face too. "We're leaving," Dave hissed.   
They tried running, but Dave got some pretty hard hits and was close to falling down. They just clung to each other as they speed-walked towards Dave's house. Rose was inside. She just sighed when seeing the two guys bruised and bleeding. "Why did you get into a fight?" she asked while putting her book down.  
"Long story. Do I look like I'm going to explain?" Dave commented as he walking in, wetting a paper towel to clean himself up.   
"I told you not to get into fights too much."  
"Thanks, I'll remember that next time someone starts beating me up." Dave got a few more paper towels and handed some to John.   
After John had finished getting most of the blood off him, he got up. "Thanks, Dave."   
Dave just shrugged and didn't answer.   
"I should get back home now, I think," John admitted after a silent minute or two.  
Dave got up at the same time as John. "I'll walk with you until you're on your bike again, okay?" John had no time to protest. When he got his bike back out of the bushes, he thanked Dave again. He didn't answer that; he just told John to get home safely and watched him drive away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! This one features a new character from the comic.. ;)  
> I just wanted to quickly thank the people who left comments & kudo's already, it's very motivating! Enjoy chapter 3!  
> \- x Tali

John got up late again. Logical, after lying awake for a solid three hours. It was partly the pain in his face and legs keeping him up, partly thoughts about Dave.  
He didn't want to form a bond with the guy. Dave still did drugs and as a cop he'd have to arrest him. It hadn't happened before. He had never felt the slightest bit of actual friendship with someone he met during this work. And still, he was feeling like he kind of liked Dave. Most people would've cheered on him to fight. Dave had just tried to get him out. It wasn't a usual thing.  
Did he have to stop talking to Dave? He definitely didn't want to make friends. He'd feel too bad about arresting them. But he was so lucky to find someone friendly here, and it could help the case. Deciding was hard. Maybe he should just stay around. Arresting Dave would be inevitable anyway.

 

* * *

John and Dave didn't meet up by bumping into each other today. John just caught Dave standing outside, smoking something that was probably a joint. "Hiii." Dave said, a soft smile on his face. Definitely weed. Dave looked relaxed. Happier. His face was usually just expressionless but right now he was smiling slightly. Dave stretched his arm out to John, offering him the joint. John shook his head. "I'm not taking yours. I forgot mine at home." Dave just shrugged and took another drag.  
Rose joined along after a while, a lit cigarette in her hand. "So does anyone wanna go do something? I'm actually bored as fuck." Dave said as he threw his joint on the ground and stepped on it to extinguish it.  
"I don't know. What are you up for? Maybe you can go beat up someone again, as you did yesterday." Rose commented with a disgruntled look on her face.  
Dave raised his hands in self defense. "Yo, not fair." He then crossed his arms. "I was just protecting poor little John here!"  
"I-" John yelled, but Rose interrupted him. "Yes, yes, you already explained, Dave." She rolled her eyes. "Well, I have no idea what we can do right now. Do you have any ideas perhaps, John?"  
"I don't-" There was no time to finish the sentence, as Dave started talking.  
"Why don't we go visit your girlfriend then, Rose?"  
Rose closed her eyes in obvious annoyance. "Maybe I should get you a boyfriend. Then you can go make out with him, then instead of bothering me non stop."  
Dave just laughed and sat himself down against the wall. A silence had lasted about a minute when Dave broke it again. "Can we go eat something? I'm hungry as fuck."  
"We'll go get you something. It wouldn't be a good idea to go out in a state like this. Stay inside and just wait," Rose ordered him. She then turned herself to John. "Will you come along with me? I believe walking alone around here is kind of dangerous." John nodded and joined her.  
"I don't really know any good places to get food. I'm new around here."  
"Yes, I know. Dave explained. I know a few good places, just follow me." Rose looked straight ahead of her again.  
"Fine then." John silently wondered why Dave kept hanging out with her. Maybe she was less cold when you knew her well. But for now, she didn't say much. Just the occasional "this way" when he went in a wrong direction.  
He nearly walked into her when she suddenly stopped. Someone was calling her name from across the street. A woman with short black hair, jade green eyes and a red skirt ran over to Rose. Rose seemed slightly surprised at first, but then she smiled.  
"Kanaya, hello!" They hugged.  
"It's nice to see you, Rose. What brings you here?" Kanaya asked.  
"I'm just getting some food with Dave's friend, to eat at home. Dave himself seemed a bit... Unable to come with us right now." Rose paused for a second, like she was hesitating. "Do you want to join us?"  
Kanaya smiled. "I would love to."  
They continued their path. If John hadn't felt left out before, he surely did now. The two women were chatting enthusiastically. He didn't understand most of the big words they used - it seemed to be a hobby of them, or something. Would this be the 'girlfriend' Dave had mentioned? 

John had forgotten to follow Rose because of his boredom. He nearly lost her when she entered a building. It had a flashing sign that said 'takeaway'. This was probably the 'good place' Rose talked about. It wasn't crowded but the few people who sat there, seemed to be enjoying the food.  
Rose said she was going to order a salad, like she always did - or so she said. Kanaya followed in on that. John decided on a cheese burger with fries. When he took out his wallet, Rose stopped him. "It's fine. I'll pay. Just tell me what you want."  
"Oh no, it's-"  
She sighed. "It's easiest if we all order at once. What do you want?"  
"Ok then, eh... a cheese burger with fries, please."

After placing the order and waiting for it to be made, they headed home with 2 bags of food. When they got home, Dave was on the couch, watching a kid's cartoon. "That took long enough. Did you get your food on another planet, or some shit? Oh, and you found your girlfriend on the way there too. Did you find her on that planet too? Is she an alien?"  
Kanaya blushed. Rose ignored him and gave him his food. She put John's burger right next to him and moved to the small dinner table with Kanaya. John sat down next to Dave and stared at the television screen while he unwrapped his burger. The boys ate silently while watching; they heard the girls constantly talking and laughing.  
He finished his burger and then turned to Dave, who was still watching the kid's shows with the most serious face imaginable.  
"Hey. It's a cartoon. You're watching it like it's the most intense movie you have ever seen!"  
Dave didn't look away from the screen when he answered. "This shit can be really intense, okay."  
"Apparently." John laughed and started watching too. He had never seen the show before. As a kid, he used to watch cartoons, but that was a whole time back. Who knew what new things they were producing nowadays? He heard most stuff sucked in comparison with the old cartoons, but this one seemed pretty okay. 

After three more episodes, John leaned back. "You were right! This is pretty intense, actually," he had to admit.  
"Told you, man." Dave got up to throw away their food wrappers. John let his eyes slide across the living room. He had nearly forgotten Kanaya and Rose weren't there anymore. Somewhere during the 2nd episode John had watched, they said they were leaving; John and Dave had no idea where to.  
Dave returned and sat back down as John got up. "What you doin'?" Dave asked.  
"I think I'll leave. It's pretty late already, I think?"  
"Yeah, it's late, but..."  
John raised his eyebrows. "What?"  
"Can't you just say a bit longer, man? This shit's so boring here alone. Not that it's not boring when someone is around, Rose is usually just drinking and then getting all fucked up - and if she isn't drinking, she's usually just telling me what I can and can't do. It's like a fucking prison cell sometimes, man." Dave got up and looked at John.  
"You know, you'll be even more bored if I get murdered on my way home because it was so dark outside!"  
Dave crossed his arms. "Yeah, okay, then."  
"Watch a few more cartoons." John grinned.  
"Yeah, I will." A little smile appeared on John's face. "By the way, next time you come, bring your pot, or something. Sitting alone while you're high isn't a fun experience, bro."  
John nodded. Smoking once just to fit in wouldn't be a big deal. Jade knew it had to happen sometimes. He hadn't tried weed before, so he was curious to what it'd be. He used to smoke regular cigarettes when he was younger and was familiar with the feeling of smoking, just not this stuff.  
"See you later."  
Dave raised his hand as a goodbye and watched John leave the house.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter featuring a metaphor I'm way too proud of, and one of my other fandoms a few of you could maybe like too. :3 Enjoy!  
> -x Tali

The buzzing of his phone woke John up the next morning - earlier than usual.   
'Anything new? -GG'   
He cursed internally. He had been ignoring his case the last few days. He was supposed to meet new people and get involved in the drug scene for a big criminal. Not hang out and bond with some random kid who ran him over the first day. His work was important but something just pulled him to Dave and he wanted to spend time with this guy.   
'Not really. I'm trying my best. -EB'  
There was no response. John got out of bed and kept internally discussing what he should do while he made coffee. He knew what he should do. It felt wrong not working on the case, like he was cheating. But he also believed Dave had kind of started to expect John at his house, maybe. John was starting to like Dave. It worried him slightly. Forming friendships was a bad idea. But he wanted it.  
He decided to just keep sticking around Dave for a while. When they'd need new drugs, he could ask around a little.

* * *

Dave was waiting outside. He made John to park his bike in the hallway and then followed him into the living room. "Rose is at Kanaya's house again, probably."  
"Are they really dating?"  
"Well, not 'confirmed', if that's what you mean. But everyone can see they're gay as shit. Bit like a secret boner in your pants."  
"Dave, stop already."  
"No, no, I'm going somewhere with this metaphor. It's great." He paused. "So, as I was saying - it's like a secret boner in your pants, and everyone can see it, but you're just too goddamn busy to hide and deny it. The more you do so, the more obvious it becomes, and the entire class is staring at you, raising their eyebrows as you keep awkwardly covering the bump in your pants with your hands; while your face turns redder than a ridiculous sunburn on the back of a middle aged mom who likes to tan topless at the beach and embarrasses her kids. The kind that shares minion memes on her facebook page. Those fucking satanic tic-tacs, man. I hate 'em."  
"Dave."  
Dave looked away, a small grin on his face. There was just a short silence but then he got up, returning with paper bag. "You wanna smoke a little or what?"  
"Yeah that's fine."  
John grabbed his wallet and took out the little bag with drugs. "Want me to roll it for you?" Dave asked. John nodded and tossed him the bag. The movement was clearly done over and over before, because Dave seemed to be able to do it blindly. He rolled two in no time.   
He put his own between his lips already and grabbed his lighter. He lit it immediately and took a drag. John's cigarette got lit after that. He coughed when he took his first drag. Dave ignored it and leaned back, blowing the smoke towards the ceiling. John felt himself leaning back slowly too. It felt like nothing was happening, but after countless minutes of staring, something hit him and it started to feel stranger. The room looked different, brighter than he could remember, or maybe he just forgot.  
"Yo, here's some water. Your throat might get a little dry later on." John drank the entire glass at once, put it down, took another drag of the joint. He saw Dave take off his sunglasses. His irises were red, the brightest red he had ever seen, almost like they were softly glowing. His pupils were slightly dilated and the red colored border around it was thin.   
"Do you have any food?" John asked after a few more minutes. Dave just nodded to the left. John got up, found the kitchen and brought back a box of cookies. He ripped open the package, offering some to Dave as well. They ate the entire family size box in 10 minutes, as if they were the best they ever had. It felt like it. Dave turned on the tv to his usual cartoon channel.  
"I know this shit. It's good."  
John looked aside. "I have no idea what it is. Why the fuck is she purple?"  
"It's Steven Universe. She's a gem."  
"But why is she purple?"  
"I don't know, man."  
John sighed and took another cookie. "Oh, and she's all blue? She has water wings, though. That's beautiful." Dave shrugged and ignored him, focusing on the show.

Two episodes had finished already. But then suddenly someone made a joke, and John had gotten high enough to absolutely lose it. He started laughing loudly. He couldn't even hear the television anymore. Dave looked at him and couldn't hold himself from laughing too. John fell on Dave's lap, face down, nearly choking from laughing. They both couldn't hold back and it took a few minutes, what felt like at least half an hour, before it stopped.   
They were still breathing heavily when John got back up. He leaned his head against Dave's shoulder, continuing to watch the show. Half of the episode seemed to have passed already. They watched a few more episodes until another cartoon started. Dave put off the television and got up to the corner of the room. John only now noticed the turntables.   
Dave remixed some music. John stared at the ceiling while listening. It sounded better than he remembered any music to be. The drugs had just made everything to feel, taste, sound, look and feel better than before. Maybe he should take more weed cases.

 

* * *

Rose came home alone when the high was already over. John and Dave had just been sitting on the couch, talking about anything they could imagine. They were sitting close to each other; legs touching, arms touching. Rose seemed to notice it and raised her eyebrows.   
"Yo, Rose." Dave yelled.  
"Hi. Did you get high again?"  
"Maybe."  
She shrugged and threw her bag on the table, followed by her leather jacket.   
"I'll leave, then." John commented.  
"Noooooo. Can't you stay a bit longer?"  
"It's getting late. Sorry, bro."  
Dave pouted. "Okay then. See you tomorrow?"   
"See you tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, sorry guys! But next chapter is very promising, believe me c:  
> -x Tali

The same thing happened everyday, again and again, for a couple of weeks.  
John came over to Dave's house, brought his weed. They smoked, watched cartoons. Dave made music and John listened. (Instead of staring at the ceiling, he watched Dave move as he worked with his turntables.) They sat closer than friends would, sometimes. They leaned on each other's shoulders, rested their heads in each other's lap.   
Rose was never home; she was usually off to Kanaya's house. Sometimes they came home together and watched television with John and Dave. They ate together regularly, walking to the same place as they did the first time. Same order every time. Kanaya was a nice girl: she was a bit weird sometimes, sarcastic, polite, used the same big words as Rose tended to do.   
Slowly, the undercover agent was forgetting his case, desperate to spend more time with the boy in the sunglasses. He occasionally tried to talk to people when they had to go buy new weed, but didn't do more than that.   
And Jade started to notice.

It was 8 in the morning when Jade called. John was still sleeping. He called back a few minutes later.  
"Hi, sorry, I was sleeping. What's up, Jade?"  
She didn't sound very happy.  
"Egbert, why haven't we gotten any reports yet?"  
Fuck.  
He tried to hold in his stuttering.  
"The case is going slowly, it's a hard one. I-I've been looking the entire time, but I haven't found a lot that's useful."  
"You've been there for nearly three weeks! I told you to send a report at least every week!"  
John couldn't respond. What was he supposed to say? I'm sorry, I've been hanging out with this guy, we smoke sometimes and I might be slowly falling for him? But it's fine, he's cool, he wears sunglasses.   
"I can give you one more week to send in anything, okay. If you haven't send me anything by then, you'll be put off the case. Possibly even fired too, if the authorities find out. So you better hurry and try. Bye."  
End of call.

John just sat in awe for a minute or two. He had nearly dropped his phone to the ground. He knew he should be working on the job, but hanging out with Dave was what he'd rather do.   
Maybe he should just tell Dave. Explain that he was actually an undercover agent, sent here to find a big guy. He would swear not to tell anyone about him, and his drugs, he just needed what he came here for. Maybe they'd pass a few times on the street, maybe they could even hang out together if Dave wouldn't have killed him yet. He wouldn't, right? He didn't look like the type who'd hurt someone because of it. And John thought - hoped - that he kind of liked him too. God, did Dave even like guys? John remembered that Rose once said he should "get a boyfriend to make out with"; something like that. Would that refer to him being gay or something? Or was Rose being her usual self towards Dave, teasing him with anything she could?   
But alright, that was not the main worry. Most importantly: he didn't know how he would confess his true meaning. Man, he didn't know Dave all that well. Maybe even if he liked John, there'd be this chance Dave would absolutely flip out. He wouldn't right? Would he?  
John was scared and nervous and didn't know what else to do, but it felt like there were no other plans.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter~ (fun fact: this one is exactly 1000 words long.)  
> This one is out of Rose's POV. Hope you enjoy it c:  
> -x Tali

When Rose closed the door behind her, she heard a quietly mumbled curse from the living room. Dave's sleep drunk voice followed. "Rose?"  
"Hello, Dave." She threw her coat on a chair and ignored when it slipped on the floor. "Were you sleeping again."  
"It's 2 AM. I'm tired. Where the fuck have you been again, anyway. You know, forget that question, it was Kanaya, wasn't it? What have you guys been doing?" Dave leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "Something you gotta tell me yet?"  
Rose sighed. "I have told you not to be so nosy when it comes to my personal life."  
"Did you two have some x-rated lesbian porn sex or what?"  
"Dave."  
"Jesus fuck, Rose, you never tell me shit."  
Dave was right there. Rose had refused to tell him anything about the topic so far. But it wasn't like Dave had said much himself. It was obvious he had something going on with John. Not that Rose had asked; maybe just teasingly referred to it.   
"Why would you be so desperate to know?" she said while walking to the kitchen. She was in need of some coffee.  
"You're like my girl bro, man, but all you do is just hang around, drink, snark at me, then leave. We don't have those deep friend conversations, like they do in those shitty romantic comedy movies John watches with me sometimes."  
The coffee machine finished making her cup. She took it out and generously added some vodka. "What do you even want to talk about then?" Rose had no clue to what he wanted to talk about. Was he just too curious about Kanaya and her? Did he need to talk about himself?   
"I don't know man, whatever. I just wanna talk with the few friends I have. With that I mean really talk, not some lame ass conversation where we basically tell each other to fuck off all the time."  
Rose sat down next to Dave in the couch. "Okay then. Interrogate me, sir."  
"What shit is really going down with Kanaya? Any living thing with eyes can notice something."  
Of course that was what Dave wanted to know about. She had expected this to happen sooner or later. It was likely she couldn't get out of this situation right now. "Okay then," she begun. "We usually just get together to drink a little bit, but a few nights back, Kanaya had just a bit too much, I believe. Alcohol makes her very emotional and suddenly she started crying. I asked what was wrong. Then she admitted she had been in love with me for a little over two months and she kissed me."  
"And you...?"  
"Of course I'm in love with her as well, Dave. I thought you had noticed already."  
Dave smirked. "Of course I noticed, man. When I explained Egbert, I compared it to a secret boner in your pants."  
Rose raised her eyebrows.  
"Everyone can see it, and then you're so god damn busy trying to hide it, that it becomes even more obvious." Dave explained with a smug grin on his face.  
"Oh. Lame." Rose finished her coffee and put the empty cup on the sink. When she sat back down, she crossed her arms and looked at Dave. "Well, it's my turn to interrogate now, captain."  
"Sure, bro."  
"You and John. I think it's also as obvious as, what did you compare it to? Secret boner in your pants?"  
"Yeah. That."  
"Well, I don't know, man. We spent fucking weeks together, I don't even know what we did anymore."  
"Mainly smoking, wasn't it?"  
Dave nodded. "But that shit makes your feelings go crazy man. Like your feelings are some kid who's on a merry go round, but the kid is weak as fuck and he feels like shit's going faster and faster with every god damn minute passing. He's going completely nuts, kid's about to shit his pants, really, and he feels like no one's noticing. Then when that atrocious ride finally quits and he gets out he's dizzy for at least an hour and he has no idea if he was just overreacting to that shit or if you're really actually crazy, you feel me?"  
It takes Rose a minute to process his ramble but then she nods. "So what you're saying is that you don't know if the drugs makes you crush on John, or if you really fancy him."  
"Basically."  
An awkward silence settles between the two. Rose's thoughts started wandering off.  
As a young kid, Rose moved to Texas with her mom. She went to the same middle school as Dave did at the moment, same class as well. Both being wallflowers, they sticked together.  
They became best friends. Rose lived through all his phases, his hipster photography phase, dead animal collecting, rapping, the stupid comics he used to draw. They went to the same high school. Everyone kept claiming they were secretly dating, but besides the short crush they had on each other in middle school, their relationship was more like a brother and sister.  
Rose had been there for him every time one of his girlfriends or boyfriends broke up with him. He had been there when she felt so alone after not dating anyone for years. They protected each other from the jerks who tried to bully them; Rose took care of him when he punched one of them again.  
But the summer after high school, both of their guardians died and college got completely forgotten. Dave couldn't stand being in the old flat he and his bro used to live in, so they sold it and came to live here. The deaths of their guardians caused them to get into drugs and alcohol. They were sure their life was fucked up now, but then Rose met Kanaya, and now Dave met John.  
Dave deserved his happiness. Maybe it was time for Rose to take up the role of wingman once again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehehhe I'm pretty sure you guys will like this chapter B)   
> -x Tali

It took John all morning to mentally prepare himself.   
There was a chance that tomorrow, he'd be here again, in his bed. But then with bruises, cuts, and a painfully recent memory of Dave who used to be his friend.  
There was also a chance this wouldn't happen and he hoped for that last option.  
Getting out of bed seemed even harder than all the other days and he could barely eat anything. His guts seemed to be twisting around and his stomach was filled with butterflies. Not the lovey-dovey ones, but the evil kind that has tendencies to painfully bump against the edges and cut them open.  
Maybe he should smoke a bit.   
Bad idea. He wanted to tell Dave when both of them were sober and not intoxicated by drugs or alcohol. It'd just fuck things up, probably.

 

* * *

 

Okay. Deep breath. It'd be fine. Dave would forgive him, if he heard what was really going on. They were friends, right? Maybe even just a little bit more than that, if John wasn't imagining things?   
Dave would probably just be mad for some time. Slam some doors, threw some stuff, screamed at John for a while. But they would make up in the end, everything would be settled, and then John would lean in to kiss Dave and -   
No, John, stop. Just knock on that door already.

It was Rose who opened. She was holding a martini glass that contained a bright colored cocktail. "Jooohn! Hii! Dave was already wondering when you would be here, it's kind of late already, isn't it?" John could barely hear what she was saying. She was clearly drunk; she was mispronouncing everything, switching up letters, hiccuping between words and rambling more than usual. It sounded barely anything like the normal, posh speaking Rose.   
"Rooooooose? Is that John I'm hearing? He's so late, did - did you tell him he's late?" Some incoherent rambling followed as John entered.  
The floor was covered in alcohol bottles, an army of wine and cocktail glasses manned the table.   
Abscond. Right now. Dave was drunk, Rose was here, this was no time to admit he was some kind of secret undercover agent. "Ehh, I think I'll have to go home actually, I just remembered I-"  
"Nooooooo!! Jaaaaaaaaaaawnnn!" Rose yelled, followed by a burst of laughter from both her and Dave. "Please stay. We have some very tasty drinks, you should try them, John!"  
"I can't..."  
Dave jumped up, took John by his arms and pulled him into the couch. John landed somewhere half on Dave's lap, half on the couch, smashed awkwardly against Rose. "Rose, get him some... I don't know, what does he even like? Just get him some of that, those, ehm, cocktails you brought. Those are good. Everyone likes those. I bet even some kind of hippie mom who refused to drink alcohol because of some spiritual beliefs would like it. Well, spiritual beliefs, maybe it's just because she doesn't want it to get her fat or something, probably why those moms are vegetarians as well, a lot. I don't know, why do hippie moms do that shit?"  
No one answered. Rose came back with an orange drink in her hand and handed it to John. "Here, drink up, boy!" She smiled a little too bright. Her teeth didn't look nice and white anymore. Alcohol, cigarettes and drugs had probably stained them.   
"I'm sure you'll like it, John." she then commented.  
"Okay, ONE drink."

 

* * *

It was more than one drink. Of course it was.  
John hadn't been drunk in quite a while, but he knew for sure that this was about 5 times worse than last time he had drunk a little bit too much. And Jade was kind of a party animal in their college years.  
It seemed like Rose had brought an infinite amount of alcoholic drinks and each one tasted better than the rest. It was easy to get drunk.  
The drinks made them all feel a bit crazy. Rose started saying all kinds of random shit and switched letters; she pronounced more words wrong than right. Dave became very happy, loud, and said everything that crossed his mind. Whenever something funny happened, he and Rose just lost it. John just got really tired, which caused him to get a sudden burst of hyperactivity before he would fall asleep and stay in bed for hours after.  
And well, just to explain it shortly, John ended up at least nearly as drunk as the other two. He was currently lying on the couch, on Dave and Rose's legs, staring at Dave's pretty red eyes from under his sunglasses. He felt really light and happy. Like he could just rule the entire world, together with Rose and Dave.  
"Hey, by the way, John," Dave suddenly yelled. He paused to take a little sip of beer. "Rose finally gave me some update on her and Kanaya."  
"Really???" John jumped up and then dropped himself into Dave's lap again. "Tell me tell me tell me!"  
"They're gay, bro. Like, gay in the meaning of dating, like I always suspected! You remember the metaphor? The boner metaphor? It was real, man. It really was as fucking obvious as a boner in your pants. They just tried to hide it. And then failed. Very obviously." Another pause. "But we're not hating on her, right? I mean, I'm like, gay too, well yeah, bi actually. But anyway, it'd be kind of a dick move if you turned out to hate gay people now or something."  
"Nooooo, it's fine, Dave, and Rose! I'm gay too!" John yelled out before he really knew what he was saying.  
"Oh my god. We're all gay," Dave commented.  
Rose put her drink down dramatically and then turned to Dave and John. "You know what I think? You and John would totally be cute together!"  
John suddenly felt like his cheeks caught fire. He nearly jumped up, but Rose held him down, pushing him back on Dave's lap. "Sh sh. Stay there," she commanded. Dave looked down at the boy on his lap, his cheeks starting to get redder than usual too.   
"Okay. Dave. John," Rose began. "I dare you guys to kiss." Dave looked down, his mouth fell open. John's eyes widened under his glasses. "You wha-"  
He wasn't able to complete the sentence because he got pulled up by his shirt and he felt someone kiss him.  
Dave fucking Strider was _actually_ kissing him right now.  
This thought carried him away so much that he nearly forgot to kiss back. But eventually he did, and he tried to hold his hands back because this was just their first kiss and Rose was watching; but they ended up in Dave's hair anyway. Dave didn't seem to care about the fact that Rose was literally next to them. Well, until she coughed to get attention. "Y'know... I'm still here."  
"Sorry."  
"It's fine. Maybe I should head home again or something," she suggested, searching around to get her phone back. Dave got up to hug her goodbye. She hugged John too, they said goodbye, and then it was just Dave and John again.  
The door closed and it only took them one second to crash into each other again. They took everything they could take of each other, unsure if it was the alcohol or the fact that they had been waiting for what seemed like too long for this.  
They stopped for a moment to breathe. "John," Dave said, panting heavily. "I think you need to get in my bed right now."


	8. Chapter 8

Dave's bedroom was upstairs. The small stairs were a complete disaster. They stumbled over their own feet and kept slipping down every time they tried to get up, thanks to the overload of alcohol. When they eventually got upstairs, Dave led him to his bedroom. John immediately got thrown on Dave's bed, Dave himself ended up on top of him two seconds later. His lips were tasting every place he could reach, John's neck, collarbones, cheeks, eventually his lips too. The kiss was more sloppy than tender and delicate, partially because they were both drunk as hell and were barely in control of anything they did. Their hands roamed freely over the other's body, over backs, necks, arms, through hair. Their teeth often clashed together, they were biting each other's lips, as if they were hungry for the one thing they had been craving all day - for weeks, in this case.  
John rolled over, pulling Dave with him, in an attempt to get himself on top. He pushed himself on hand and knees, continuing to make out. His hand slipped under Dave's shirt, slowly and teasingly. Dave pulled away from the kiss with a sharp breath. A grin appeared on his face as he slipped backwards and put his back against the wall, beckoning him with a gesture of his hand. John crawled over and put himself on his knees between Dave's legs. He continued the kiss hungrily. His upper body rolled against Dave's.  
It didn't take long before John felt like he was going to collapse. The burst of hyperactivity came to an end; the alcohol was making him tired now.   
"Davvve, I'm gonna fall asleep, I think," John muttered, slipping down as he said it.   
"O-okay."   
John just felt Dave guiding his head down to the pillow and pulling the covers over him. Dave slipped down too, wrapping his arms around John's waist. He pressed his forehead against the nape of his neck and closed his eyes. He felt John slip away into sleep after a few seconds already, but it took Dave a little longer.  
His mind was rushing with thoughts. He couldn't believe he was actually laying down like this next to the boy he had had a thing for the minute he entered his house. He had been thinking about slamming John into a wall and making out every time he got high, and secretly sometimes when he was sober as well. He had to remember to thank Rose sooner or later. Dave was felt ashamed he had to rely on Rose again to get a boyfriend or girlfriend. She had helped with it more often than he had done it on his own. He didn't want her to function as wingman every time.  
But still, this felt amazing, and maybe his intoxicated brain was exaggerating things but he felt like he was in heaven before he fell asleep as well.

 

* * *

When Dave woke up, something felt a little different. He was sleeping in his clothes and he felt like he could throw up any time, but that wasn't it. He rolled over and oh - yep, found it.  
"Wait - John?" He probably had too many drinks last night, because he totally forgot how the boy ended up in his bed. He wasn't complaining, but still... How?   
John made a few muffled sounds before opening his eyes. They shot open wide when he noticed who he was sharing a bed with. "Wait, Dave?! Why am I-"  
"Yo, I don't know okay. I think everyone just got crazy drunk last night, and yeah..." He paused. "You don't mind, don't you?"  
John's cheeks turned cherry red and he bit his lip.   
"Dude, I'm not sure but I think we kissed last night, okay."  
"Wait, we did?" John nearly started yelling. "Holy shit, I... I don't think I mind. But this is all just so sudden and I didn't really expect it to happen already!" He started picking at the bottom of his shirt, twisting the fabric around his fingers nervously.   
Awkward silence.  
"Dave, do you like me?"  
Dave nearly choked on air and felt his cheeks heating up. He was usually quick to find his words. He could come up with the next rap sentence while he was still saying the previous one, metaphors took him half a second to find out, he could ramble for ages with no stopping. But now he was speechless. Dave Strider was speechless.  
"It's okay if you don't, Dave... I totally get you if you were just drunk last night and if that was why we kissed!"  
"No, no, don't think that bro."   
John stared at Dave and waited for the answer to his questions.  
"Yes. I like you." That was all he could say. No complex metaphor for saying this right now. Usually he would never straight out say what he actually meant but this was not the time for it.  
John's mouth opened slightly, but then it fell back into a smile. He got closer, lifted up Dave's chin and kissed him for the second time. This time he could actually feel what he was doing. It was sincere, it was more heartfelt, it was their second take at a first kiss.  
There were no stars or explosions or clouds floating around. Just the two of them, in a small room that had the smell of smoke permanently stained in it's walls, slowly kissing on an old bed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm sorry to skip a week! I didn't have my laptop so I couldn't put on the previous chapter last wednesday.  
> I'm afraid you guys will have to wait a bit longer for the next chapter as well since I'm out of chapters I wrote before and I'm a slow writer.. But I promise I won't forget this story and you guys will get updates, just not weekly! I'm very sorry.  
> Also, warning: next chapter contains smut. You can totally skip it if you'd rather not read smut, this chapter has nothing important for the plot!  
> \- x Tali

Rose passed by quickly every night with Kanaya. Usually, she stayed, but now she said she'd better go (paired with a suggestive wink). Dave replied with a chuckle and "yeah, you better". Not that a lot happened, they just got high and made out a lot. When they weren't smoking, they'd watch some tv together, John commanded to watch all his favorite movies; they hired some and had a marathon. Dave commanded they'd watch cartoons every time one came on.

It was just a little later that week when Rose's suggestion to not stay, turned out to be a good idea.  
John and Dave had smoked before; the effects were nearly at their end while they were kissing on the couch. But then suddenly - maybe in a random burst of courage and the high of the drugs - Dave slipped his hands under John's shirts. The movement made John inhale sharply before he went back to kissing. They both got a little rougher after that. John pulled himself up, dragging Dave with him. Dave wanted to lean in again but was stopped by a hand against his chest. He raised his eyebrows. John pulled back his hand and slipped it under his own shirt, pulling it up. Dave chuckled before he started sucking on the sensitive skin of John's neck, running his tongue along the collarbone. John's hand slid in Dave's hair, softly pulling at it as Dave let his mouth run across his body.   
"Get back here," John commanded. Dave got up and put his lips on John's again. It didn't take long before his shirt was on the floor as well. Their breaths quickened, they were awkwardly moving their hands around, unsure about where to put them. Eventually, Dave's hand slipped to the button of John's pants, John started breathing even quicker and sharper as his pants slipped off and fell to the floor.   
"You okay with this?" Dave asked, looking up.  
"Y-yes. Please," John answered in between breaths.  
"Have you ever actually done this before?"   
"Eh, no, n-not really. Maybe with a few girls in high school."  
"Wait, so you're fucking telling me that you have never done anything with a guy?"  
John felt a blush creeping up, he almost felt embarrassed. "Well, yeah, no? Is that bad?"  
"No, not even the slightest. Just means I've got more chance of impressing you, I guess." Dave grinned shortly before he crashed himself onto John's neck again, which made him into a moaning little mess again. Oh, his neck might just be one of his weaknesses, and it got even worse after smoking pot.  
Dave's playful lips travelled from the neck to the chest to the stomach. They ran just above the edge of John's underwear, pulled them slightly downwards with his teeth. There was an obvious bulge growing under Dave's chin. But Dave was a tease and he wouldn't fulfill John's tormenting desire just yet.  
John survived the teasing surprisingly long - possibly a record amongst the people Dave went to bed with - and just pulled down his boxer's out of despair, freeing his erection. "Please just, do something to me now. I'm - I'm dying here." he stuttered. A dirty smirk appeared on Dave's face as he looked at John's face; it was cherry red, a little edge of sweat was forming on his forehead, his mouth was open and breathing heavily. Blue eyes were staring into red eyes for a few seconds before Dave went down on it.   
Dave spent no more time on being a tease. His tongue started swirling around the head of John's dick first, then travelled down along the length of it. John's hand tensed up, his skin getting slippery because of the sweat. Last time this happened, he was on a girl's bed, in a room covered in posters. She was not that bad, but staring right into Jennifer Lawrence's eyes while getting your dick sucked was an awkward experience. (He couldn't get himself to watch any Hunger Game movies anymore.) But this, oh this, felt a few hundred times better than any girl doing it to him. Dave didn't know the fine details of what John liked or disliked yet - but already knew what he had to do to make him delve his fingernails into his palms.   
"D-d-dave," John stuttered as Dave started to take up the head into his mouth. Dave's hands moved to the base, slowly stroking his fingers up and down in the same rhythm of his tongue. John's glasses fell of as his head fell to the side, his hands placed itself on Dave's back, his fingernails were digging into the pale skin - leaving small red scratches. It seemed to trigger Dave into taking up even more of John's cock, covering it in a generous amount of saliva. His tongue was slowly swirling over it. John felt like the rest of the world was slowly fading to black, he couldn't stop his sharp breaths or quick, quiet curse words and moans in between.   
He opened his eyes, squinting a bit, to look down at Dave sucking him, his lovely nearly white hair curling up slightly because of the sweat on his forehead. "God, oh fuck, Dave," were the only words he could remember. Dave quickly moved his head up again so he could breathe again for a second. "Good?" he said, the usual mischievous smirk on his reddened lips.   
"Mm-hmh," John said, a little smile on his face. "P-please don't stop."   
"As you wish, princess," Dave purred as his tongue went at it again.   
John wouldn't keep it up long anymore. He was nearly fucking Dave's mouth. If this had ever been a tender love-making session, all of that mood was gone now and replaced for something rough and animalistic. There was no more attempt at hiding the moans and various curse words anymore. They were building up, faster and louder, Dave sped up his movements slightly.  
"Dave, I'm going to.." The room was filled with white light. "I'm going to co-"   
The sentence remained unfinished as John felt himself come right into Dave's mouth, accompanied by a sharp inhale fading into a scream. John finished while panting heavily, body covered in a thin layer of sweat and a heavy red color. Dave sat up, wiping the last of the white liquid out of the corners of his eyes. He straddled himself onto John's stomach and stared down at the other man's red face with his smirk again.  
"So, not disappointed for your first something with a guy?"  
John pulled down Dave's face to his, kissed him roughly while his quick breaths slowed down again.  
"Was that a good enough answer to your question, Dave?"


End file.
